City hall has moved one step closer to clamping down on outdoor smoking.
Without any debate Monday, council voted unanimously in favour of a motion directing city staff to investigate the issue and come back with recommendations.
Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health staff want the city to enact a “smoke-free outdoor spaces” bylaw. They want a complete ban on smoking at playgrounds, parks, sports fields, splash pads and bus shelters, as well as on restaurant patios and within nine metres of doorways to public places and workplaces.
Ontario municipalities have the power to prohibit or regulate the smoking of tobacco in public places and workplaces. However, they don’t have the power to prohibit smoking on public sidewalks.
A Public Health report on outdoor smoking sent to city hall last fall noted that the ban it’s seeking could be considered a rights issue, as shown in the surveying it did locally last year.
“Concerns identified by those opposed to a smoke-free outdoor spaces policy included infringement of personal rights,” the report said.